Taking Interest in Other People Can Bring Benefit That Can Last Forever

My pa was elder in the local United Church in Canada. So every week he use to sent me and my sister to Sunday school. Then by 11 o’clock we use to go with him to the church. In the afternoon, we use to go with our ma to the Kingdom Hall. It was easy for us to see the difference between the two religion them.

Our ma explain what she learn from the Bible to her friends, Bob and Marion Hutcheson and they became Jehovah Witness. In 1958 brother and sister Hutcheson carry me and their three boy children to the Divine Will International Assembly in New York City. That assembly last for eight-days. When I think about that assembly, now I know that it was not easy for them to carry me. But that assembly that one of the best things that happen in my life.

THE INTEREST THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS SHOW ME HELP ME TO DO MORE FOR JEHOVAH

When I was coming up, we were living on one farm where I use to enjoy raising different-different animals. I really wanted to be animal doctor. My ma tell one elder in the congregation about it. The brother was kind and he told me that we living in “the last days.” And he ask me: ‘If you go to the university for some years, how it will affect your friendship with Jehovah?’ (2 Tim. 3:1) Because of that, I decided to not go to the university.

But I was still thinking, wetin I will do after I graduate from high school. Even though I use to go field service every weekend, I never use to enjoy the ministry and I was thinking that I will never be regular pioneer. But my pa and my uncle were not Jehovah Witnesses. They were encouraging me to work full-time for one big insurance company in Toronto. My uncle was having big position in the company, so I agree to work there.

In Toronto, I use to spent most of my time working and spending time with people who were not serving Jehovah. And that one make it hard for me to go to the meetings and always be in the field service. First, I was living with my grandpa who was not Jehovah Witness. But after he die, I find another place to live.

Brother and sister Hutcheson who carry me to the 1958 convention, were looking like parents to me. They tell me to come live in their house and they help me to get strong friendship with Jehovah. In 1960, me and their son John got baptize. Later on, John started pioneering and that one really encourage me to spend more time in the field service. The brother them in the congregation saw that my friendship with Jehovah was getting strong. So, they made me the Theocratic Ministry School servant.a

I FOUND MY WONDERFUL PARTNER AND STARTED PIONEERING

In 1966, I marry Randi Berge. She was zealous pioneer who really wanted to serve where the need was great. Our circuit overseer take interest in us and he encourage us to help the congregation in Orillia, Ontario. So we pack our things and move right away.

As soon we reach to Orillia, I join Randi and start regular pioneering. She was having zeal for the ministry and that one help me to get zeal too! After I started working hard to be good pioneer, I was happy because I was using the Bible and helping people understand it. I was really happy to help one marry people in Orillia to make changes in their life and start serving Jehovah.

WE LEARN NEW LANGUAGE AND CHANGE OUR THINKING

One time we visit Toronto, and we saw brother Arnold MacNamara. He was one of the brothers taking the lead in Bethel. He ask me if we were willing to be special pioneer. Right away I said: “Yes! Apart from Quebec we willing to go anywhere!” The people in the part of Canada that can speak English was having bad thinking about the people in Quebec that use to speak French. And that bad thinking was affecting me. That time the people in Quebec were demonstrating against the government and wanted Quebec to break away from Canada.

Brother MacNamara say: “Now-now Quebec that the only place the branch sending special pioneers.” Right away I agree to go. I already knew that my wife was willing to go there. Later on, I got to know that this was one of the best decisions we made in our life!

After we attended one French class for five weeks, me, Randi and another brother and his wife went to Rimouski, about 540 kilometers (336 mi) northeast of Montreal. We were still having plenty things to learn. One time to the meeting I was reading some announcements. Instead of saying the people attending the convention will be coming from Austria, I use different word and say the people will be big-big birds.

When we were in Rimouski, four single sisters who were having zeal join us. Also, brother and sister Huberdeaus and their two daughters join us in Rimouski. Brother and sister Huberdeaus rented one big house and all the pioneer them that were living there help to pay the rent. We use to call the house the White House, because the front part of the house was white and it was having white-white pillars. Most of the time we were having between 12 and 14 people living there. Because me and Randi were special pioneering, we use to preach in the mornings, in the afternoons, and in the evenings. So, we use to be grateful to always be having someone to go with us in the field service even when the place was cold in the evenings.

We and those faithful pioneer them got so close until they were looking just like our family. Sometime all of us use to sit down around the fire to enjoy our self, or we were having one day where all of us use to cook together. One brother use to play music instrument. So most of the time on Saturday nights we use to sing and dance.

Plenty people in Rimouski were having interest in learning the Bible! In five year time, we were happy to see some of our Bible student them getting baptize. And also, we saw the congregation grow to about 35 publishers.

We got training in Quebec that help us to know how to do the preaching work good-good. We saw how Jehovah help us in the ministry and with the thing them we need. Apart from that, our love for the French-speaking people got strong. Also, we started liking their language, and their way of doing things​—2 Cor. 6:13.

We were not expecting it when the branch office tell us to move to one town call Tracadie on the eastern part of New Brunswick. This one was really hard for us because we just started renting one apartment and I was having part-time job with one school. Beside that, some of our Bible students just started preaching and we were building one Kingdom Hall.

We pray that whole weekend about the move and we even went to visit Tracadie. Tracadie was different from Rimouski. But we say since Jehovah want us to go there, we will go. We put our trust in Jehovah and we saw how he help us to go through each of our problem them. (Mal. 3:10) It was more easy for us to overcome this problem because Randi was having strong friendship with Jehovah and she use to like making sacrifices for other people. Also, she never use to allow any situation to make her feel bad.

Brother Robert Ross was the only elder in our new congregation. He and his wife Linda were pioneering there. So when they born their first child they decided to stay there. Even when they were taking care of their son, they really encourage us because they use to be kind to us and they were having zeal for the preaching work.

WE WERE HAPPY TO SERVE ANYWHERE

After we pioneer in Tracadie for two years, we receive another invitation that we were not expecting. They tell us to serve as circuit overseer. We serve in the English circuits for seven years, then they reassign us to the French circuit in Quebec. Our district overseer in Quebec name was, Léonce Crépeault. He use to tell me thank you for the talk them I use to gave. But after some time, he use to ask, “How you think people can benefit more from your talk?”b This advice really help me to make my talk easy to understand and for more people to benefit from it.

One assignment I will always remember was the one I was having in 1978 to the “Victorious Faith” International Convention in Montreal. I was working in the Food Service department. We were expecting 80,000 people, and we were having new way to feed all of them. We were having new materials, new food schedule, and new way to prepare the food. We were having 20 big-big ice box, but some time they use to give problem. The day before the convention start, we were not able to enter the stadium to prepare until midnight because they were playing game on the stadium. We put the oven them on soon in the morning to make breakfast before daybreak! We were tire, but I learn plenty things from the brother and sister them I work with. They were having good qualities, hardworking, and funny. We got close to each other and now-now we still friendly. I too happy to attend this important convention in Quebec, the same place they were treating our brother and sister them bad in the 1940s and 1950s!

I learn plenty things from other overseers during that big conventions in Montreal. One year, David Splane, who on the Governing Body now-now was the overseer for the convention office. After some time, the brother them gave me that same assignment to another convention. Brother Splane supported that arrangement with his whole heart.

In 2011, after me and my wife serve in the traveling work for 36 years, the brother them ask me to be instructor for the School for Congregation Elders. In two year time, me and Randi slept in 75 different-different rooms, but the sacrifice we made was not for nothing. Every week, the elder them use to be really grateful because they saw how the Governing Body really care about their friendship with Jehovah.

Later on, I started teaching the School for Kingdom Evangelizers. Most of the time the student them use to be worry and very tire because of the busy schedule. They will sit down in class for about seven hours every day. They will do their homework for three hours each evening, and do four or five assignments every week. Me and the other instructor told them that they can’t make it on their own, they need Jehovah help. I will always remember how the student them were really surprise when they saw how Jehovah help them to do more than what they were not expecting to do.

TAKING INTEREST IN OTHER PEOPLE CAN BRING BENEFIT THAT CAN LAST FOREVER

Because my ma use to take interest in people, it help her Bible student them to make progress and even help my pa change his attitude about the truth. Three days after my ma die, we were surprise to see our pa coming to the Kingdom Hall to listen to the public talk. And he continue coming to the meetings for the next 26 years. Although my pa never got baptize, the elder them told me that he was always the first to come to the meetings every week.

My ma set good example for me and my sister them. All my three sisters and their husband them serving Jehovah faithfully. One of them serving to the branch in Portugal and the other one to the branch in Haiti.

Now-now me and my wife serving as special pioneers in Hamilton, Ontario. When we were in the traveling work, we use to enjoy following other brother and sister them on their return visits and Bible studies. But now-now we happy to see our own Bible students love for Jehovah getting strong. We getting close to the brother and and sister them in our new congregation. Because of that we can see how Jehovah supporting them when things alright and when things not easy.

When we think about all the thing them that happen way back, we can be really grateful for the interest other people show in us. That the same way we can try to show real interest in other people. We can encourage them to serve Jehovah the best way they able to. (2 Cor. 7:​6, 7) For example, in one family, the wife, the son, and the daughter were pioneering. So one day I ask the husband whether he na ever think about pioneering. He say that he was supporting three pioneers. So I ask him, “You able to support them more than Jehovah?” I encourage him to enjoy what his family was enjoying. In six month time he started pioneering.

Me and my wife Randi will continue to “tell the next generation” about Jehovah “wonderful works,” and we hope they will enjoy serving Jehovah the same way we enjoy serving him.​—Ps. 71:​17, 18.